Hi Everyone,

by any chance anyone started investing in BOXX and has any updates on possible future regulations incoming on the Swiss side? or it's still considered as capital gain with no "digital dividends"? Did you have any issues with the tax declaration? any opinion/information is well welcomed!

I'm really considering it as part of my strategy and just wanted to have a second opinion and the last post is more than 1 year old

Hey everyone.

Me and my partner (EU citizens, unmarried,in our early 30s, no kids) are starting a new job in Switzerland in Brig (Wallis) in November - 165k gross for household.

We have been planning this move for over a year, and a few months ago we got an amazing opportunity to buy ourselves a house in our country of origin - 390k € loan.

I am looking on how to navigate the taxes in CH. We will have a B permit so taxed at source, but I'm assuming we will have to file a TOU before 31st march to declare this property. It's not rented. We bought it as an asset and an eventual house for retirement.

Since we will have to file the voluntary tax, our plan forward is to max out our 3a pillars and ETF the rest of unused income which should amount to around 1.5 per month into investments. Our long term goal is to buy property in CH and build a family.

Given that we only work for 2 months of 2026, it doesn't seem like a 3a pillar right now is a smart choice. or is it? I'm not sure how it would work here, but I'd much rather build a safety net in these first months.

But how is the value of the home calculated? Over the whole 390k price? or what our IRS considers as taxable value, which would be 140k€

Also: we are going to be taxed on our salary for 2 months?

The only thing we could deduct right now is my medical bills since I need biweekly injections for my IBD which are 600chf a pop according to compendium.ch so I'll be maxing out my yearly co-pay pretty early. Add bloodwork and eventual consultations into that.

Can anyone correct my plan or confirm if it's good?

November + december -> start building emergency fund

January -> pillar 3a

February -> maybe contact a tax agent who might help us with this.

File the taxes and roll forward.

Am I missing anything?

Danke

Hi there

I didn‘t find a similar question with the search option here, so I‘m trying it this way:

I have a SwissQuote account and would like to invest 100k into VT/VALL.

When I click on the Trade button in the SQ app to start the process, I get some terms and conditions to read of which I don‘t understand anything (lawyer language).

I need to agree with a couple of things (see screenshots).

What do I need to consider when doing this?
After agreeing, can I simply buy the amount I want?
When I sell this position in 5/20 years, what will I need to consider? How much of the future amount will I have to pay the others? (SQ, Swiss authorities, US authorities,…)

Many thanks for anyone helping out & wishing you a good day!

I’ve been reading through dozens of threads here and on other forums about what happens to your pension fund money when your life changes. The same traps come up again and again:

1. Quitting without a new job and doing nothing. If you don’t tell your pension fund where to send your money, it ends up at the Stiftung Auffangeinrichtung after 6 to 24 months.
2. Buying into your pension fund and withdrawing within 3 years. Any lump-sum withdrawal in that window (including for self-employment) can cost you the tax deduction you got for the buy-in.
3. Expecting a cash payout for self-employment with a GmbH or AG. That only works for sole proprietors.
4. Putting everything in one vested benefits account. You can split it across two, which can lower the tax later by withdrawing in different years.
5. Assuming you get everything out when moving to the EU. The mandatory part usually stays in Switzerland if you’re insured in an EU/EFTA country.
6. Forgetting the tax depends on the canton. When you leave Switzerland, it’s the canton where your pension fund is based, not where you lived.

Full disclosure: I’m a software engineer in Basel looking into building a free tool for these situations, so I’m trying to understand where people actually get stuck.

What was your situation, and what confused you most? And if I got something wrong above, please correct me.

As Bitcoin becomes more and more regulated and gets adopted by financial Institutions, what will take its place as an unregulated alternative currency / asset?

Domanda generica: che ne pensate di PostFinance ? Anche per investire? Io ho spostato lì la mia ipoteca che prima era con una banca cantonale GKB e mi trovo bene pagando meno. Ho anche qualche etf, fondo e il pilastro 3a con PF che hanno reso benino.

Looking for option for fondsparplan. Being able to invest couple 100 per months without getting destroyed by fees. should also allow to take over existing depot and ability to invest into CHF based funds7shares. Don't want all investments in foreign currency.

In essence the bigger plan is to move away from UBS. CS fees look humane in hindsight...

I am M25, work 100%. I fill up the 3a in VIAC (100% stocks), save aggressively in VWRL, and have some other assets (BTC,GLD, a little bit of Cash). With my 2nd and 3rd pillar I am looking at approximately 113k by the end of the year of invested money (initial cost value not market value). Am I doing good? I feel like it's not enough.

Hi everyone. I got scammed out of 200 CHF, and honestly, I don’t even know how to feel about it.
I feel incredibly stupid and ashamed because I know I’m the one who sent the money. There was no one holding a gun to my head. I made the decision myself, and that makes it hurt even more.

The scam was pretty simple. You invest a small amount, they return it with a little extra, and then they encourage you to invest more and more as the amount grows. At first, it actually looked believable.

I sent them 200 CHF. After that, they told me I needed to send another 530 CHF. That’s when I realized I was completely stuck. I didn’t have another 530 CHF. I barely had the 200 CHF I had already sent.
I’m a student trying to find online work because I’m struggling to afford basic things like food and my studies. Those 200 CHF were literally the last money I had.
And I know some people will probably say, “You should have known better.” Maybe I should have. I know it sounds stupid looking back. But when you’re struggling financially and desperately looking for a way to make some extra money, you can end up believing something you normally wouldn’t.

I know 200 CHF isn’t a fortune to everyone. Money comes and goes. But for me, those 200 CHF mattered. I was actually hoping to use that money to buy myself a winter jacket because I really need one.
Instead, I’m sitting here feeling completely hopeless and blaming myself for being so naive.

I’m not posting this because I expect anyone to feel sorry for me. I just want to share what happened in case it prevents even one other person from falling for the same thing.

Please be careful online. If someone asks you to keep sending more money in order to “unlock” your earnings or withdraw your money, stop. I wish I had done that.
And if anyone in Switzerland has been through something similar, especially with a payment made through TWINT, I would really appreciate any advice on what I can do now?

Im trying to buy the Vanguard FTSE Global UCITS ETF (acc) in CHF through IBKR.

When searching by ISIN (IE000VAHT5T0) I can only find trading lines in GBP, USD and EUR. However, when searching for VALCD I find a listing on IBKR showing a price of around CHF 4.15 with the exchange listed as EBS (not SIX?)

The chart also looks quite unusual, and I’m not sure whether this is the correct CHF trading line or a different listing.

Is VALCD the correct CHF trading ticker for this ETF? Has anyone successfully bought this CHF listing through IBKR? Is there a reason why the chart looks unusual or has limited historical data?

Thanks for your help!

I am a bit surprised I followed everything that was recommended here (e.g., Yuh account, upload Anmeldebestätigung, Deposit first payment, verify with passport as Austrian national) and now Yuh send me a notifaction that they want a 'residence permit'.

I asked Claude and it told me it would be the Ausländerausweis, for which I have an appoinment only in one month.

My employer demands a bank account urgently and I am a little stuck with a lot of other things without the Swiss bank account so I wonder what would be the quickest way to get one.

Would it be easier to just drop by a UBS/Kantonalbank but am afraid that I then get locked in to a much more expensive/useless full service type of account.

I am much a greater fan of Neobanks.

Hi,

I’m 31 and my wife is 28.

We’ve both been working in Switzerland for about a year.

We have CHF 200k in the bank and can DCA around CHF 6k a month.

We may have kids in two years and might buy a house in five.

We’ve opened IBKR and Saxo accounts but haven’t chosen an ETF or looked into Pillar 3a yet.

How can we work out whether Pillar 3a would save us enough in taxes to be worthwhile?

For a home purchase, does the 20% down payment need to be in cash (including money from the second pillar and Pillar 3a) ?

How would you split our money between investing, 3a and a house fund?

Any ETF suggestions (VALL, VT, an S&P 500 fund, or something else) ?

There’s so much information out there that we may be overcomplicating it.

We’d appreciate advice on how to get started.

I want to buy a house and use as little cash or early withdrawals (Vorbezug) of 2nd and 3rd pillar.

Minimum requirement for equity is 20% (10% "hard capital".

- if you pledge your 2nd pillar the bank will increase the amount they loan to 90% (bruttobelehnung) since the nettobelehnung is much lower, correct?

- can you pledge your 3a to meet the 10% remaining hard capital and achieve a 100% bruttobelehnung? Or do you need to withdraw it? Or can you use it to get a margin loan?

Example:

- value / buying price: 1 mio

- Pledged 2nd pillar: 300k

- Pledged 3rd pillar: 150k (with haircut because of high percentage of shares already subtracted)

Bruttobelehnung: 100%

Nettobelehnung: 55%

Tragbarkeit is no issue.

I’m posting here to share my experience with Swissquote Bank in Switzerland and find out whether other investors are facing the same situation.
For several weeks now, Swissquote has restricted purchases of certain US micro-cap and penny stocks. From what I’ve been told, these restrictions were introduced following pump-and-dump schemes that affected some clients.
While I fully understand the need to protect investors from market manipulation, I seriously question the way Swissquote is handling this situation.
Here’s my problem:
I already hold significant positions in several US micro-cap stocks.
I can no longer purchase additional shares of certain stocks I already own.
This prevents me from averaging down my positions and executing my trading strategy.
These are highly volatile stocks, where timing is extremely important.
Swissquote has been unable to provide a clear timeline for restoring trading access.
I am not asking Swissquote to protect me from investment risks. I understand those risks and accept responsibility for my investment decisions.
What I find unacceptable is losing the ability to execute my own trading strategy because of restrictions imposed by my broker.
I have contacted Swissquote multiple times since early September.
Initially, they confirmed that trading restrictions were in place and that they had no estimated date for lifting them.
Later, they informed me that they might consider exceptional authorizations to purchase certain restricted stocks.
After further discussions, they confirmed that a request to unblock the affected securities had been submitted.
But here’s where things became particularly concerning:
Swissquote sent me a document called a “Declaration of Renunciation” and requested my original handwritten signature.
After reading it, I discovered that the document authorizes Swissquote to irrevocably remove specified securities from my custody account and includes a waiver of future claims relating to those securities.
Why would I be asked to sign such a document when my request was simply to restore my ability to trade?
I have absolutely no intention of giving up ownership of my shares.
Meanwhile, market prices continue to fluctuate, and I am missing potential trading opportunities because I cannot adjust my positions as planned.
I am now considering escalating the matter through my legal protection insurance and exploring the possibility of transferring my portfolio to another broker.
My questions to the community:
Is anyone else experiencing these restrictions with Swissquote?
Has anyone successfully obtained an exception allowing them to purchase restricted micro-cap stocks?
Has anyone transferred US penny-stock positions from Swissquote to Interactive Brokers, Trading 212, or another broker?
Has anyone received the same Declaration of Renunciation document?
Does anyone have experience filing a formal complaint against a Swiss broker or contacting the Swiss Banking Ombudsman?
I understand that averaging down does not guarantee recovering losses. My concern is about having access to the securities I am paying a broker to trade, and understanding the legal and contractual basis for these restrictions.
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone in a similar situation.
This is not financial advice. I’m sharing my personal experience and looking for information from other investors.

I am not able to find out how UBS makes money in this transaction.

I use my Indian bank issued card to withdraw CHF from UBS ATMs. UBS shows me their marked up exchange rate which I reject. They charge my Indian bank the amount in CHF without any additional fees.

My Indian bank internally charges a very minuscule fee and converts the amount using Visa currency exchange rate (no markup here either)

Normally I see ATMs put some fees for such third party withdrawals. UBS does not do it. What gives?

I am thinking thro the extra insurance I need to get for my newborn.

Did anyone ever look into the capital lump sum insurance in case of disability, that is supposed to cover expensive self-pay costs to support them, in case the worst happens?

Not sure if it’s better to self insure given the small chance of this happening.

Hi all,

I am moving to Zug next month permanently and wanted to check whether it makes sense to invest in Pillar 3a next year given that the taxes are so low anyways? The tax saving will not be as high as in my previous canton.

I earn approximately 140k per year and have 300k in assets.

Thanks for your input

I switched my supplementary insurance to a new provider this year. I informed my old advisor of the switch by phone and—at his request—also sent a written notice; however, it seems this arrived too late, and he disregarded my verbal notification (it seemed to me like he was miffed about it). Consequently, I have ended up paying twice for the same coverage. Now I am undergoing complementary medical treatment, and neither insurance provider covers the full cost.

How does reimbursement work?
Can I submit the claim to both insurers, or would that violate any terms in the fine print?
Also, I am not sure if the insurance companies share information like this with each other.

I kind of also wanna let the old one pay me back

Hello everyone.

Me (31M) and my gf (25F) just landed in Switzerland last week, VS canton (we speak fluent french)

We are both junior doctors, starting residency, aiming at neurology training (already got a 2nd contract in Fribourg and more interviews soon for the following years).

We are starting 2nd November. We got our paperwork done, opened a bank account and are sitting down and trying to line up our strategy forward. We opened 3 accounts, one personal for each, and a joined one. The fees are drastically reduced (3chf per month per account) because the bank has a partnership with the cantonal hospital.

Assets: we recently bought a house in our country of origin for 400k, our monthly payments with insurance etc etc is around 1,2k CHF, fixed rate for the next 5 years. Now you are probably wanting to ask why the hell did we buy property and then move? Well...it's a really good house, below market value, and we wanted to take advantage of the government aids for purchase. The house is being taken care of by my "future in-laws". They take care of the house, lawn, garden, maintenance. It's an asset, eventually for retirement or re-sale. Until then we are planning on staying in CH and building a family here. Ideally, after specialty training, we would like to stay here in the VS area.

That being said, the house needs some renovations, estimated at 10k€ (paint the whole house and minor damage fixing), which we want to do until next summer.

Our apartment in CH costs us 1.5k CHF, everything included (water/electricity/wifi). The only thing we pay extra is the washing machine, around 1.5chf per cycle. From my estimations our insurance will be around 1k a month, since my partner has an autoimmune disease and needs biologic medication every 2 weeks. Groceries we are guesstimating an average of 700chf (we were both national level boxers and love to work out and eat).

We thew some numbers into chatgpt and we should be able to end the month (assuming 10k net for both) at around 3-4k. This is being generous with weekend trips, and extracurriculars. We are taking online courses for a couple of subjects, and will be starting German soon as well. I am now perplexed as how to allocate this money. First and foremost I'm thinking about focusing on the 3a pillar starting January, since I'll have to declare the house anyway, so might as well save some cash. Then leave around 2-3k a month on an emergency fund.

My main question is: do we start our ETF investing outright even if it's a small amount? or build liquidity first and foremost and start focusing on ETFs when we settle a bit.

We have already established a few goals:

. Short term -> Get a car (we would prefer not spending weekends in the house and we enjoy traveling and walking the mountains a lot). Our options here will either be leasing or buying an old shitbox that moves. Leasing doesn't seem financially responsible from what I've seen. If it were possible, id much rather get a 5 year loan and pay interest in exchange to staying liquid during this first year.

- Mid term -> Finish specialization training and move back into the valais area.

-> Get married

- Long term -> buying property in CH

Edit: Forgot to add marriage as a goal lmao (we have been together for 6 years, we are married everywhere but on paper)

Hello, M24, moved in CH 2 months ago. See myself long-term here but you never know what life is made of.

Before answering IBKR, please read.

I invest for my retirement and in my home country I invested on iShares MSCI World (70%), BNP Paribas Easy Stoxx Europe 600 (30%). I am not here to discuss if my investment is good, maybe it's too correlated and not useful.

I can invest 3'000 CHF a month.

• 600 are RSUs on a separate trading account
• 600 on Pilar 3a VIAC Global 100 (I will open other Pilars 3 in the future now one is enough)
• The rest is 1'800 CHF per month that I want to invest in World ETFs (a bit of emerging markets too)

My question is : which investment platform to use ?

Looking at this sub, lots of you mention IBKR. I also heard about Degiro, Swissquote, Neon, Saxo.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed. IBKR has lowest fees, but is overwhelming also, heard about the Global Trader app too. Degiro are slightly higher but not by a lot. Both are foreign platforms and I want to confirm with you if the money is "safe" there. If it's a pain to declare it every year.

And then Neon, Saxo, Swissquote are Switzerland based so I tend to trust them more and the interfaces look more user-friendly. But the fees are much higher. But I only invest on 2-3 ETFs max.

What I will not do is invest in traditional banks like UBS.

Last thing: My partner is in the same situation as me but she has no RSUs so will invest 2'400 / month outside of Pilar 3. A family independent investor (not bank related) in her home country, Spain, is offering her to invest in these funds (20% each). Performances look decent. Fees are not so good but she is not really into investing but she is still spending time looking at all of that so she has potential to be interested.

• GS Glb CORE Eq R Acc (LU1698129266)
• Technology Opp L (IE0004621052)
• BlackRock World Health D2 Acc (LU0827889485)
• Gamax Asia Pacific I (LU0743995689)
• RV Global Selección E (ES0161993003)

After fund's fee, after investor's fee the performance on 10y forecasted is (annualized) : low 6.5%, medium 11%, high 15%.

It looks like a lot compared to historical MSCI World or S&P500 performances. For me it doesn't make sense to convert CHF to EUR every month, pay a lot to a family banker, and it looks like a pain to declare it in Switzerland but at the end when investing on IBKR on a World ETF you also convert CHF to USD, and the performances are similar. I feel like it's a bad idea but the figures don't disprove it. Could you also enlighten me on that?

Thank you very much!

Hi, I want to setup my 3a account.

Which of this ones represent better the s&p500?

Equities world or global equities?

Anyone interested in giving a private loan over 15.000 CHF?

As there are no good options for private loans out there I will ask the community here.

I am 31 years old with a permanent working contract living in Graubünden for almost 5 years now. I am looking for a loan for a duration of 36 months and I would be willing to pay 7% interest. Written contract is a must. Anyone seriously interested let me know.